Healing the Nations

The Word of God can speak to us as a prophetic inspiration. The Bible is the Word of God and it is the Sword of the Spirit.

“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” Ephesians 6:17

The Word of God speaks to us in many ways. The Bible contains clearly stated truths and instructions for us to accept and act on. There are also symbolic meanings which can be applied more broadly – such as a principle, like living by faith or resisting the devil. These things don’t come with specific instructions on how they are to be done but are truths we apply as the Holy Spirit prompts us.

At times the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word as a sword to pierce us in some way, maybe bringing conviction or encouragement.

For example a verse says that the wicked do not repay what is borrowed. The Holy Spirit might use it to convict someone to return a borrowed item.

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and give generously.” Psalm 37:21

Some people find the Holy Spirit directing them by bringing a Bible verse to mind.

Care needs to be taken about random ideas people get from the Bible. Humorous writer Adrian Plass describes a man who felt led to Israel since every time he opened the Bible he found reference to Israel. Since the Bible principally focuses on Israel it’s only logical you would find many such references.

That’s why the Bible principle is that we are to confirm things by “the mouth of two or three witnesses”.

“Every matter must be established by testimony from two or three witnesses.’” 2Corinthians 13:1

If you think God is speaking to you then seek out godly counsel and confirmation to protect you from a presumption or misunderstanding.

The Bible also speaks figuratively or metaphorically, so a statement might have an apparent meaning but also another application. The Apostle Paul pointed this out, about God’s servants being paid by those they serve. An Old Testament rule is that an ox treading grain should not be stopped from eating it. Paul says that was inserted to refer to Christian ministers, even though it doesn’t say so in the Old Testament.

“It is written in the Law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Is God concerned for oxen? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for us, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.” 1Corinthians 9:9,10

The Holy Spirit can show us in the Word of God a hidden principle or application. God hides things and wants those who are diligent to dig them out, like digging for treasure.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2So in God’s Word there are things that can be missed. The enemy missed understanding God’s plan of salvation, even though it is hinted at in the Old Testament writings. So we too can miss things that are in the Bible. The Holy Spirit can prompt us to see those things and make connections that have significance to the way we serve the Lord.

This latter category is a prophetic insight, brought about by the Holy Spirit showing the connection or significance in God’s Word.

The great prophet Ezekiel had a prophetic vision from God about a river flowing from the Temple, described in Ezekiel 47.

“I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east” Ezekiel 47:1

Beside this river were many trees.

“Fruit trees of all kinds grow on each side of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12

This same river vision was given centuries later to the Apostle John and is recorded in the Book of Revelation.

“Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1,2

Ezekiel saw many trees, but John saw one tree, or one type of tree, which was called the Tree of Life.

That name takes us back to the Garden of Eden where God had planted the Tree of Life.

“Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is good looking and good for food; the Tree of Life also in the centre of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9

We can assume that the many trees seen by Ezekiel were all of the same type as the Tree of Life, which is what John called it.

And that brings us to the idea of trees. The Bible calls those who follow God as trees.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also will not wither; and what ever he does will prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3

“they will be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

So putting those things together let me speak this prophetically for God’s people. Those who love the Lord and are led by God’s Holy Spirit carry God’s life, so they are a branch of the Tree of Life. Their ministry is to being ‘healing to the nations’, which might principally refer to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but which could also refer to the rescue and restoration of communities, as God enables.

Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit within you and see if you resonate with God’s call to do more than occupy your local space, but to step out and to touch the nations with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and bring healing to lives, families and communities, as people sample that which grows on your life, your testimony, your expression of the fruit of the Spirit.

You may be being called right now to the ministry of Healing the Nations.